The invention relates to a facsimile system. More particularly, the invention is directed to a facsimile system in which a scanner for reading image data and a main body for receiving the image data are separately arranged and in which the image data read by the scanner is sent to the main body so that facsimile transmission can be performed at the main body.
A facsimile system coupled with a handy scanner is conventionally known. The handy scanner is employed to read image data when part of a large document such as a drawing or newspaper or part of a thick book is to be transmitted by the facsimile system. The handy scanner includes, e.g., a contact-type image sensor and rollers and guides which cause the image sensor to slide over a document. The handy scanner is moved over the document to optically read image data, converts the read image data into an electric signal, and sends the electric signal to a host machine, i.e., the main body of the facsimile system (hereinafter referred to simply as "main body") through a signal line. The main body that has received the image data from the handy scanner transmits to another facsimile system by sending the image data to a communication line.
By the way, in such a conventional facsimile system, the handy scanner is connected to the main body by a cable, which permits supply of power from the main body to the handy scanner and transmission of a signal from the handy scanner to the main body. For this reason, the handling of the cable becomes cumbersome, which impairs user-friendliness of the facsimile system.
To overcome the above shortcoming, a facsimile system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-193658. This system is characterized as eliminating the power cable by providing a built-in battery in the handy scanner and as transmitting and receiving signals by an infrared light-emitting means that serves as a transmitting means provided on the handy scanner and a light-receiving means that serves as a receiving means provided on the main body.
A facsimile system proposed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-49264 is characterized as operating the main body by radio waves of a predetermined frequency generated by a remote controller. This system does not employ any handy scanners to read documents.
The above-mentioned conventional facsimile system has encountered the following problems. The above system may be sometimes operated by, e.g., locating the main body at a predetermined fixed position and locating a plurality of handy scanners at plurality of open-to-the-eye but remote places in an office room. In other words, the facsimile system can be operated on a so-called "personal use" basis, in which the main body serving as a host machine is accessed by each handy scanner that is used by an individual employee or by a small number of employees to transmit image data.
However, when a plurality of handy scanners are arranged as described above, there is a problem that the control of communication records becomes difficult, each communication record indicating which handy scanner is used for what kind of transmission.
Further, if a plurality of main bodies are located close to one another, there is a problem that the plurality of facsimile systems may be operated simultaneously by remote operation of a handy scanner.
Still further, if the number of handy scanners is increased, their safekeeping and supervision becomes insufficient, hence imposing the problem of permitting, e.g., unauthorized use by unauthorized users.
Moreover, there is a case in which a plurality of main bodies and a plurality of handy scanners belonging to each main body are located in a single office room and in which each pair consisting of a main body and a plurality of corresponding handy scanners is used by group. In this case, since a conventional facsimile system is designed to neither identify a handy scanner serving as a terminal nor supervise the plurality of handy scanners individually, a light-receiving means provided on a main body is likely to receive erroneously optical signals which are not outputted from the handy scanners belonging to the main body and which are therefore not addressed to the light-receiving means.
Such erroneous reception makes an intra-group supervision difficult, which may cause a user of a handy scanner to happen to use a main body that is remote from him even if there is a main body close to him or which may bring about a highly frequent use of a particular handy scanner.
The main body that has received image data from a plurality of handy scanners has conventionally sent such image data to a communication line simply in the order of reception. However, it may contribute to a more efficient use to give priority levels of transmission to users of a plurality of handy scanners or to their locations.
Since the conventional system is not designed to identify each handy scanner serving as a terminal nor to supervise the plurality of handy scanners individually, only such simple operation as described above has heretofore been performed. The transmission of image data cannot be supervised by priority.